Who's waiting for a coin to arrive in the mail?

I am waiting on two ancients and a couple of moderns to arrive. You could say four in total.

 

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Got a big, heavy package in the mail today.....

 

Well, here is one I have not yet paid for but have reservations about.



KINGS of THRACE, Odrysian. Metokos. Circa 407-386 BC. AR Diobol
Bare head right.
Labrys within shallow incuse circle.

Fairly rare issue with some obverse variations: no border, beaded border, circle border. Everything looks right about it, but with the sellers poor photos I *think* there might be some casting bubbles on the reverse. I really cant say without it in hand. I just dont know. Either I got a good deal or I got a good fake. I'd be much more comfortable (who wouldnt) if I could link to established dies, but the references are obscure and I imagine few have them. Any comments?

 

@Ken Dorney You are much more the expert on this than me, but that example would certainly give me pause based on the photos.

 

Everything is right about it except what I might see as bubbles on the reverse (well, and how cheap it was). A return policy wasn't listed, but he did specifically say "100% Authentic coin".

 

I was keying in on what look like casting bubbles on the reverse. In addition the lettering on the reverse looks a bit "soft" to me. Of course without seeing in hand this is all speculation.

 

I've got 6 coins I'm waiting for.
One package of 4 China-Japanese Occupation from an Australian seller.
Another China-Japanese Occupation from an eBay seller.
And the biggie is an AU-55 Capped Bust Quarter, B-2.

 

Curious? ... is this coin-type frequently faked? (I don't know it well enough)

... perhaps the blurry-photo is merely confusing the situation (maybe you could politely ask the seller for a better photo?)

Oh, it's a super-cool coin, so I hope that it's a winner (I love weapon coins)

 

I can imagine that it's a difficult decision! I'm learning gradually how to spot fakes but I still mostly rely on dealers observing the VCOINS Code of Ethics to avoid fakes.

 

One came today, from Ken.


Hadrian, (117 - 138 A.D.)
BI Tetradrachm
Egypt, Alexandria
O: ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ ΤΡΑΙ Α∆ΡΙΑ CΕΒ, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, wearing aegis, from behind.
R:L ∆Ε KATOV (year 10), Canopus jar of Osiris, ornamented with figures, wearing crown of horns, uraei disk, and plumes.
Alexandria Mint
10.34g
23mm
Dattari 1326; Milne 1154; BMC Alexandria p. 75, 630; Emmett 827

 

There are several coins that I am waiting for from the recent auctions in NY, Steve Album and Naumann. But the following coins just arrived today and I couldn't be happier:

Kakwayhid: Faramurz (433-443AH/1041-1051AD) AV Dinar, Isbahan, 435AH (Walker-1656; Album-1592)

Obv: لا اله الا الله وحده لا شريك له السلطان المعظم طغرل بك ⫯ ∩ (There is no deity except (the one) God alone. He has no equal; Sultan Tughril Beg)
Obv Inner Margin: بسم الله ضرب هذا الدينار أصفهان سنة خمس وثلثين واربع مائة‎ (In the name of God, this dinar was struck at Isbahan in year 35 and four hundred)
Obv Outer Margin: لله الأمر من قبل ومن بعد ويومئذ يفرح المؤمنون بنصر الله (To God belongs the order before and after; and in that day the believers shall rejoice in the help of God)

Rev: شمس محمد رسول الله القـائم بامـر الله الامـير فرامرز (shams, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, al-Qa'im bi-amri 'llah, Prince Faramurz)
Rev Margin: محمد رسول الله ارسله بالهدى ودين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله ولو كره المشركون (Muhammad is the messenger of God. He sent him with guidance and the true religion to reveal it to all religions even if the polytheists abhor it)




Ancient Greece, Sicily: Anonymous (415-375 BCE) Æ Hemilitron (HGC 2, 1480; SNG ANS 415 ff; SNG Cop 697 ff)

Obv: Signed by Euainetos (ΣY on band); Head of Arethusa left, wearing hair band and earrings, back of hair in sphendone; olive spray behind
Rev: Dolphin swimming right above, ΣYPA arched over inverted scallop shell below




Seleukid Empire: Demetrius II (120-96 BCE) AR Drachm, Seleucia in Pieria (HGC 9, 982; SC 1927.1; SNG Spaer 1634 )

Obv: Diademed head of Demetrius right
Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥ ΝΙΚΑΤΟΡΟΣ; anchor upwards, lily symbol on crossbar to left

 

Gorgeous Dinar Quant!

 

Well, I am waiting for 5 "neutral registered letters"

1/ Steve Album Auction....AV Mexico 1901/801-MoM Peso MS-65/ Swiss Cantons/Zurich AV 1/2 Dukat 1761/58 MS-64
2/ Boule Auctions....AV France Ecu d'or au Soleil 1635-B Rouen Mint Louis XIII

3/ Great Collections...AV Hamburg 10 Marks 1901-J MS-67/ USA AV $2 1/2 Indian Head 1925-D Denver Mint MS-65

4/ Numisma....AV 10000 Reis Portugal 1889 Lisbon Mint Luis I/ AV 5000 Reis Lisbon Mint 1860 Pedro V/ AV 2000 Reis 1859 Pedro V all three Soberba=UNC.
5/ CNG AV Quarter Stater Cantii/Corded Horse EF+

Sorry, only one "ancient"
John

 

I'm waiting for 3 coins from the latest Naville auction - post from the UK to Ireland is pretty fast, so I should get them a couple of days after they get posted.

• Roman Republican As - star - Crawford 196/1
  
• Cassia denarius - Crawford 428/3
• Octavian denarius - RIC 253

ATB,
Aidan.

 

Cool. My dad was from Dublin. Last time I was there (early 1990's) there was only one coin shop in the country, across from the post office in Dublin. I am told no shops exist in Ireland any more. Is that true? I plan to visit relatives again in a couple of years. Are there any coin shops left in the country?

 

Hi Ken,

There are effectively no coin shops now There are a few dealers who come to the coin shows and one who has more of a stall than a shop in the Georges Arcade. In Belfast, there's at least one coin dealer at the Friday George's Market, whose name escapes me at the moment. The shop you mentioned off O'Connell St was Emil Szauer's "Coins & Medals" - he is long retired and deceased. We have an "Emil Szauer Memorial Lecture" every year (February, usually) at the Numismatic Society of Ireland, as he was a founder member. The shop was more recently occupied by "Cathedral Stamps", who did sell some modern coins and supplies; they've since moved out of the city centre. There's a stamp dealer in Cork (Raven Stamps), who may sell some coins also.
So - not much of a coin shop scene in Ireland, I'm afraid! Still - it can be a short and cheap flight to London to see better fairs and shops
ATB,
Aidan.

 

I remember going in to that shop many years ago. Very small, just a few coins. I seem to remember mostly modern, Conders, etc. Didnt buy anything from him. The county I live in here in the US has 4% of the population of Ireland and 12% the geographical size. Yet we still have two coin shops (there were more when I was a kid). Obviously a cultural thing. My dad was not a collector but he did have a few coins he saved when he came here in 1956 (he was excessively poor, likely he only kept them as he couldn't exchange them!). I still have them today.

 

We're not well-served by coin shops, it has to be admitted. I visited Szauer's twice that I can recall, as a kid in the 1970s or early 1980s - I didn't live in Dublin then, so it was a rare excursion. I think I bought a farthing or two, I can't remember. I have at least one other "ex-Szauer" coin - a Nero as, a beauty, but I didn't buy it from him myself. His collection of ancient coins was auctioned in 1999, before I collected ancients.

To stay on the original subject - I expect to receive my coins tomorrow - they seem to have reached Dublin today

ATB,
Aidan.

 

A recent CNG auction included a coin of Andrew McCabe's that he purchased from Emil Szaur. The lot description included a paragraph written by McCabe about Szaur.
https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=322929

 

Thanks for link - nice write-up. I did manage to buy one of Andrew's coins in that sale, but not that one.
ATB,
Aidan.